They were done ridiculously fast. In fact, in theory, it was not impossible because seven minutes was enough for them to mix and roast various ingredients on the hot griddle.
But it was really hard for only the two to finish four dishes within seven minutes. It might be possible for them to add some variants to the bulk of ingredients they already cooked. But it was amazing that they finished it while accurately dividing the space of the iron plate so as not to mix the taste of the different ingredients.
‘Even if they prepared puree or sauce in advance…’
Maya could not understand what she saw a moment ago. She looked at the plates in front of her with an incredulous expression. She even wanted to think the dishes they cooked so quickly didn’t taste delicious enough. But there was zero chance she could taste it because Min-joon couldn’t have missed the taste of the sauce. So, if there could be any one faulty area, it would be for them to make the mistake in roasting the ingredients on the hot griddle. As far as handling the heat was concerned, Kaya was so superb as to beat even a world-class chef in the field. Furthermore, Min-joon helped her as a cooking mate, so it was rather hard to think they made any mistake in the roasting process. Besides, the ingredients themselves were well roasted without any excessive searing.
Maya lifted the fork, with lots of expectations for the taste. Honestly, she hoped the dish would not taste good because that could justify her grumbling about the hot griddle menu. In principle, the dish should not taste good, given their cooking time, she thought. If they could make such delicious food so quickly, this would be the most absurd thing she could think of in the cooking world.
After she thought as far as that, she put the scallop seasoned with puree in her mouth. Kaya watched her quietly then checked leisurely how her expression was changing.
‘By now, I guess she can feel puree.’
A puree made with curry and parsnip. While the healthy and stimulating taste of curry was stimulating her tongue, she could smell the fresh sea scent of the scallop while chewing it. And the moment she chewed the parsnip chips, its bitter scent would spread into her mouth.
‘She will let out an exclamation after that.’
As if she was satisfied with her finished dish, Kaya turned up one corner of her mouth. If other chefs did that, they would look mean, but Kaya looked cute like a child. Grinning at her, Min-joon sliced a steak and put it in his mouth. Basil puree with a subtle but sweet aroma like pesto blended easily with beef. Maybe the sweet red wine and the sweetness of the onions added flavor to the puree.
“I really can’t believe this kind of hot griddle food tastes so delicious,” Maya said.
“What’s wrong with the hot griddle menu?”
“As you know, gourmets and chefs shun this kind of hot griddle food, don’t they?”
Actually, Maya’s point was legitimate. In fact, everybody knew that although hot griddle dishes were gorgeous with various ingredients, they were really no more than froth.
Hot griddle dishes were never easy to make. In fact, they were probably the most difficult to make. It was never easy for ordinary chefs to do the cooking on the hot griddle right without making mistakes, but Kaya made it. First, she cooked colorfully and elaborately enough to make her cooking look great. Second, she made no mistakes while making the dish. Lastly, she made four different dishes all at once.
In fact, her making four different dishes at the same time was much more difficult than the first two. There was a reason why chefs specializing in hot griddle dishes made one dish at a time. When they made several dishes on the hot griddle at the same time, it was never easy for them to pay attention to the condition of each dish properly.
Besides, it was also never easy for them to stop the taste of different dishes from mixing. No matter how wide the hot griddle was, it was just one large fan. Several ingredients were supposed to be mixed in one pan, so it was inevitable that the taste of the different dishes was mixed at some point, no matter how careful they were.
But Kaya’s cooking was an exception. She carefully calculated the distance between the ingredients by taking into account the spattering of oil or sauce. Although her cooking could be called a hot griddle menu, it was like her making each of the four dishes on a separate pan.
“By the way, Chef Min-joon, what the hell…”
Maya, who gave up thinking about Kaya’s cooking anymore, looked at Min-joon with a resentful expression. Watching her who seemed too shocked to speak at Kaya’s marvelous cooking, he made an embarrassed expression.
“Hey, Maya, why are you looking at me like that?”
“You can make such marvelous dishes like this, but you haven’t shown it to me at all until now… This isn’t fair!”
“Why is it not fair?”
“Do you want me to say it directly? Your fantastic pair with Kaya in cooking is such a contrast with me working as your cook. The way you cooked with Kaya was something I had never seen when I worked with you. I’ve never thought that you would cook the dishes so naturally and organically.”
It was not unreasonable that Maya felt so betrayed. If his cooking level, as a rule, was around 8 when he worked with Maya, his cooking level was almost 9 when he worked with Kaya. Maya was also a cook, so naturally, she noticed that difference.
Maya turned to Justin. But Justin was silently eating the dishes without saying anything, even though he knew Maya was appealing to Min-joon.
Maya asked, looking at Justin, as if she wanted him to agree with her.
“Justin, haven’t you noticed the difference so clearly? Chef Min-joon’s cooking skills.”
“Well, maybe. You know what? Chef Kaya and Chef Min-joon have been together for a long time. Besides, they’re lovers. Since they see eye to eye, it’s not strange at all that they can make such great dishes so easily.”
“Man, he has also spent quite some time cooking with me. Why can he give me a leg up like he did for Kaya?”
‘Man, that’s the problem.’
Watching Maya complaining to Justin, Min-joon sighed.
At first glance, she apparently grumbled about the difference, but she was actually complaining about him. She knew him well. As far as she knew, he was not a man who discriminated against people. So, if Maya noticed the difference, it was not because he discriminated against her, but because she didn’t bring out his skills as much as Kaya.
‘Not only the demi-chef, but the cook who works with him must also be able to elicit the best of his ability…’
No matter how talented a chef was, he would not be able to demonstrate his skills properly if he cooked with a child. Just making sure that the child wouldn’t get hurt would make him distracted from cooking.
At last, Min-joon opened his mouth.
“Maya, your experience is different from Kaya’s. It’s obvious that there’s a difference. But I appreciate your point, too. Like you said, hot griddle dishes are definitely not good when we have to serve lots of customers because we can’t cook quickly enough. Even if we can make four different dishes right now, we won’t be able to handle it if we receive ten different orders.”
Instead of replying, Maya just listened quietly.
He said with a soft voice as if he were comforting her, “So, you should help me.”
“To be honest with you, I don’t know if I can help you at all. When I saw you cooking, I just wondered if I had been standing in your way instead of helping you until now…”
“No, you’re wrong, Maya. Let me be clear. You’re mistaken. I believe you can help me. So, help me.”
Maya raised her head. Looking at her trembling eyes, he said with a smile, “I hope what I just said would prove true. So, make sure every customer stopping by our food truck tomorrow won’t frown. Can you do that?”
***
As always, Rose Island’s food trucks were crowded with customers. If they didn’t advertise, there might be a bit less customers than now, but Min-joon and Kaya didn’t do that.
Of course, if the line was too long, they would have to wait longer, but if someone came early and waited in long lines to enjoy the food, Kaya and Min-joon thought they deserved to eat the food faster than anybody else.
As a result, the area where Kaya and Min-joon were supposed to run the food truck today was already crowded with crowds even before their truck arrived. That was the problem. Kaya and Min-joon, who came to the place after hanging out elsewhere instead of arriving on the truck, could not help but be greatly embarrassed. They didn’t expect that so many people would wait in long lines early in the morning.
Kaya, who turned the mask down under her chin, raised it again and looked at Min-joon.
“Do you think they can recognize us?”
“I don’t think so. We’re wearing masks.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Well, let’s wait here until our truck arrives, then get in.”
Having said that, they stood a little away from the lines. At that moment, people began to wait behind them one by one, as if they got confused that the two were waiting in lines, too. The two got embarrassed to see them, but they were already in the middle of the long lines. Noticing something was wrong, the two were about to get out of the place after exchanging glances when a black guy behind them asked them.
“Hey, do you know that Kaya Reuters is also coming here today?”
They were embarrassed at the moment, but they couldn’t ignore his question.
Kaya shrugged her shoulders, pretending to be calm, and opened her mouth.
“That’s nothing new. Well, when I see the Starbook, it looks like the two met at the Grand Chef Season 4 this time. Do you know that?”
“That’s interesting. Why did they meet there?”
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